Great old photo from Essex County -- the day Peter Shapiro was sworn in as the first Essex County Executive in 1979: clockwise starting from the bottom left - former Newark City Councilman Calvin West; Essex County Freeholders Renee Lane, Daniel Tindell, Pearl Beatty, Angelo Cifelli, and Lincoln Turner; and Harry Wheeler, one of Newark's top political insiders. Shapiro, a 26-year-old two-term assemblyman, narrowly defeated Sheriff John Cryan in the

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka won a re-election on Tuesday with a record-setting 77% of the vote. Here’s how he did it: * The North Ward gave Baraka 80.3% of the vote against challenger Gayle Cheneyfield Jenkins. Turnout was 20% and Baraka’s margin was 3,560. * The West Ward gave Baraka 78.2% of the vote. Turnout was 18% and Baraka’s margin was 3,069. * The South Ward gave Baraka 77.3% of